With Halloween around the corner, we can’t help but think of how great hardwood floors can be at creating the perfect ambiance to a haunted house experience. From echoes to creaks and squeaks, hardwood floors are great for any occasion.
But once you’ve handed out your last piece of candy and the last spider-web has been taken down, eliminating the creak in your hardwood floors becomes your number one priority.
(Quick side note to parents: a creaking floorboard is a great alarm system for detecting teenagers sneaking in and out of the home after curfew.)
But, let’s assume your teenagers are angels and would never break curfew, how do you silence your floors so that by Christmas time you won’t hear a creature stirring, not even a mouse.
Squeaks and creaks in your main floor
If your main floor above your basement is creaking, find a buddy, and fix the problem. While you head to the basement with a wedge of wood, your buddy walks along the problem area until you pinpoint the location of the squeak. Glue the wedge between the nearest beam and the subfloor. This should fix the problem. You can also screw the wedge in for more support and stability.
Second and third floors creak
If the problem is with your second or third story floors, your only option is to fix the problem from above. This means that your fix will most likely be visible and could disturb the aesthetics of your hardwood floors.
Creaks and squeaks happen when the floorboards are not tightly connected to the joist, causing them to bend and move every time you walk over them. You will need to weigh down the floorboard, and then nail the board to the entire length of the joist.
If you don’t like the visual of having a row of nails in your beautiful hardwood floors, try ventilating your home. Now that it’s winter, there is a lot more moisture in the air and the rise and fall of temperatures can cause your hardwood floors to expand and contract. This could be the cause of your noisey floors. So, before you go drilling holes in your floors, try drying out your home with proper ventilation.
For the best fix to creaking and squeaking hardwood floors, hire a professional hardwood flooring craftsman who can do the job properly and professionally.
